


just say i do

by bluemoontide



Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M, Fluff, but you'd have to squint to see it, not angsty at all which is a shift for me for sure, well maybe a little angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-07-27 10:48:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16217477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bluemoontide/pseuds/bluemoontide
Summary: “Um yeah, well also I was thinking maybe you should be my girlfriend.”Tessa just blinks a few times.“A lot of the dance pairs are dating, and I think we should try. It might help our skating.”“Uhh—”“Hey, it’s okay T. Just think about it alright? It’s not like we’re getting married or anything.”OrFive times they talk about marriage and one time they actually do it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a bit more, uhh, in depth than i've done before, so I think there are going to be mistakes with timelines and skating shit. Also there are some pretty unavoidable mentions of other people that i try to keep out of the shame-spiral that fall into when i write and publish rpf...so, be kind? let me know if you spot anything glaring please!
> 
> Also these will be short chapters so sorry! I was going to publish it as one thing, but i got impatient...whoopsies.

It’s an early morning practice in Ilderton when Tessa eyes Katie McDougall and Devin Shaw skating around the rink with clasped hands. She tries to busy herself with some barre stretches at the boards and pretends she’s not watching them. Stretching is important anyway and the last thing she needs is to hurt herself. Mom said yesterday that if she keeps on track she might even be able to apply for the National Ballet School in the next year or two.

She’s excited about that but also Tessa is just starting to get good at skating and she wants to keep getting better and better. Coach Carol said she might teach her an axel soon, and it’s exciting but a little scary too.

Watching Katie and Devin skate makes Tessa wonder what it would be like with a partner. Then maybe they could help her be less scared to try the hard moves and maybe they can help hold her up too.

That’s when Scott Moir skates over. She knows him because he’s Coach Carol’s nephew and Mom calls him ‘unruly’. Tessa doesn’t mind him though. They don’t talk much but he’s always been nice to her even though she’s quiet and some kids think that’s weird.

“Hey those are some neat stretches,” the spiky haired boy says.

Tessa feels her cheeks turn pink. “Uh, thanks. I they’re from ballet.”

“Oh yeah, they call you Tutu the Ballerina!” He doesn’t say it in a mean way, but her cheeks get even pinker anyway. She wishes Mom didn’t tie her bun so tight on top of her head today.

“Danny Moir calls me that.”

Scott gets this crooked smile on his face and it somehow makes Tessa smile too, even though she is still feeling shy.

“Danny’s my brother,” Scott says, “so that means I can call you that too.”

“Alright,” Tessa says turning away from Scott a little. She hopes Laura Landry didn’t tell anyone that Tessa said she’d like to be good enough to skate with Danny Moir some day. If she decides to continue skating, of course.

“I’ll only call you ‘Tutu’ if it’s okay though.” Scott continues even though Tessa forgot what they were talking about for a minute.

“It’s fine.” Tessa says quietly, even though she’s not sure if it is yet.

“If you don’t like it I can call you something different. It’s Tessa, right?”

She can’t believe he’s been talking to her this whole time and he wasn’t even sure what her name is. Her lips pinch together because that makes her a little mad, but Scott just smiles more, which makes her think that maybe he was joking about the name thing.

“T for Tessa, T for Tutu. What do you think of ‘T’?”

Tessa thinks she likes T better than Tutu. She should try and not be mad anymore.

“Yeah okay, I guess that’s fine.”

“Awesome, T. You’re cool. Do you think you should teach me some of those stretches now?”

“Okay. Just go like this.” She digs her toe picks in and bends her knees while balancing herself a little on the boards. He does the same and they crouch and stand three or four times before Tessa stops.

“That’s really good, just make sure your back is nice and straight, like Coach Carol keeps saying.” She watches him for a minute and he’s doing it a lot better. She smiles a little too. She’s surprised he’s not embarrassed to be doing dance stretches with her. Most of the boys that figure skate make sure everyone knows how much they hate it. Scott is like that too, but he doesn’t seem to hate this. “You’re very good.”

“Thanks,” Scott answers, looking shy for the first time since she’s met him.

Tessa just nods her head and pushes off the boards to start her warm-up lap.

“Wait!” Scott says, so she does. “I saw you watching Katie and Devin before. What do you think?”

Tessa thinks about it for a minute, “I think Katie is a lot better than him.”

Scott laughs louder than Tessa might have expected. She wasn’t really trying to be funny, it was just true.

“Would you do it, T?”

“Skate with Devin?”

Scott laughs again, “No! You’re way better than Katie and Devin put together. I meant would you skate with a partner?”

Tessa grabs her elbow and runs her hand up and down it a few times.  
“I dunno, I guess I never thought about it before.”

“Well,” Scott leans in a little like he’s telling a secret, “you didn’t hear it from me but Auntie—I mean _Coach_ Carol is going to start pairing us up more to see how we do.”

“Aren’t you skating with Laura Landry?”

“You’re better than Laura too.”

“Oh.”

“Um yeah, well also I was thinking maybe you should be my girlfriend.”

Tessa just blinks a few times.

“A lot of the dance pairs are dating, and I think we should try. It might help our skating.”

“Uhh—”

“Hey, it’s okay T. Just think about it alright? It’s not like we’re getting married or anything.” He’s quiet for a second and Tessa watches him. She pretends she doesn’t notice how red his neck is getting.

“I’ll see you out there!” He says finally, then Scott is pushing off the boards and skating away like someone is chasing him.

Tessa just sort of stands there for a minute. Pairing up? Dating? Getting _married?_ It was going to be a tough practice with all of those crazy ideas going through her head.

She’s right, and she is distracted. Later as she’s doing backwards crossovers her blade catches and she’s falling. What surprises her the most though is that Scott Moir somehow gets close enough to catch her. Her butt still hits the ice, but he slows her down a lot and it doesn’t hurt at all. As a bonus she doesn’t bang her head like she was expecting to either.

“If you’re going to be my partner, I’m going to have to practice catching you more.” He says as he hauls her up. Before she can say anything he’s gone again.

Tessa’s never thought about skating with a partner, or dating, or even getting married before, but if she does do any of those things she hopes that whomever it is watches out for her like Scott Moir does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i tried to get in the head of a 6-7 year old, so if the narration is a little bit off to you i promise some degree of it was intentional.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> is this the chapter that inspired the fic? maybe so. maybe chapter four is the one that inspired it...at this point i'm not too sure which it was either.

It’s just another lazy Friday night in Michigan where Scott and Tess agree that while they like the  _ idea _ of going out, they’re both so completely drained from their week of training they can barely muster the energy to bring food to their mouths. 

They decided it was time for a  _ Friends  _ mini-marathon and a cheat night, so Scott dug out his DVDs and Tessa ordered take-out. They’re almost all of the way through season six, even though they only started rewatching it a month and a half ago. If Tessa had more energy, maybe she’d be more concerned about it how fast they’ve gone through it.

Scott chuckles through a scene with Phoebe and Rachel, but Tessa is only half paying attention. Her legs were hurting her again today, and she’s starting to get a little concerned about it. Her OT keeps telling her to drink lots of water and make sure she’s stretching them out properly. Tessa is nothing if not diligent, especially when it comes to following directions, and she scratches the back of her calf idly. It just keeps getting worse. 

“Youwre m’baccup.”

“Pardon me?”

Scott swallows his bite with a little extra effort, and Tessa just shakes her head with a small smile. He’s a little overzealous when it comes to scarfing his food down during cheat nights, and she can’t remember how many times she reminded him that eating supper is not a race. It's still funny when he tries to win though.

Once his mouth is clear he tries again. “I always thought you’d be my back-up.”

“Your back-up what?”

He points his chopsticks to the TV and Tessa tries not to laugh at the stray noodle that dangles from the end. 

“Like what Phoebe said...were you watching?”

Tessa doesn’t answer, but apparently chewing at her bottom lip tells Scott everything he needs to know, so he elaborates.

“If I’m not married by the time I’m forty, I should marry you.” He says it simply like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“Oh, is that right?”

“Yeah,” he agrees, oblivious to edge she adds to her voice.

“And what exactly makes you think  _ I  _ won’t be married by then?”

“It’s just hypothetical, T.”

Tessa puts down her utensils and her barely touched Chinese food and tries not to be to annoyed. She knows he doesn’t mean anything by it, and the idea isn’t anything too far fetched...if their career carries on like this Tessa has no idea how she’ll build a life around it anyway. They’re already spending fourteen hours a day at the rink. It’s not too hard to imagine a life where her job is her first priority. She might be too busy to get married.

Assuming they are able to continue down this path. She scratches at her leg again.

When she’s not annoyed anymore she throws him some rope.

“Okay, I’ll bite. Hypothetically that is.”

“Is that a yes?”

“If  _ I’m  _ forty, and you’re forty-two, and we’re both not married, sure. I guess I could marry you.” She concedes with a shrug.

“Woah calm down T, you’re a little bit too excited about this.”

She chuckles briefly and picks her food back up. “Don’t get ahead of yourself though, Moir. I’m sure there are tons of guys who will want to marry me before then.”

Scott smiles a little half-heartedly at that, “Don’t I know it…”. 

He unpauses the show—which he apparently had stopped at some point—and shovels more food in his mouth with added gusto.

Something about his voice left her feeling a little unsettled. Like it stopped being a joke as soon as they said it outloud. She tries not to dwell on it however, because she knows how tired they are from the week; she shouldn't overanalyze. She pays closer attention to the rest of the episode and focuses her last bit of energy on not crying when Monica proposes to Chandler. 

Scott is never good at hiding his feelings, so she can’t help but notice how he gets a little misty during the episode, too. 

They’ve sort of sunk together on the couch and watch as the credits roll and the DVD brings them to the special features menu. It’s oddly quiet in his living room and Tessa looks up at Scott. He has this soft, tired smile on his face and a sort of stillness about him that tells Tessa they should really call it night rather than tackling season seven. 

“That was probably my favourite episode.” She says quietly. He turns his head slowly to meet her gaze. 

He drops a kiss at the top of her head and sighs a bit. “Yeah, mine too. Hey Tess?”

“Yeah?”

“You’re definitely not going to need a back-up.”

She lets herself smile at that and purposefully  _ doesn’t _ read into it too much.

“I don’t think you’ll need one either, Scott.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope it's clear that this is referencing 'the one with the proposal (part 2)'....it's okay if you didn't get it. scott prolly did.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so the timeline might be a little wonky here too but we're already In This Thing, so please be kind and also maybe forgive me??
> 
> this one is a meant to be a little silly at parts, i hope you like it!

It’s fall after Sochi, and the last place she expected to be spending the weekend was at one of Scott’s cousins’ wedding. Scott's girlfriend had a last minute family thing that she couldn't miss, but left Scott scrambling because he already RSVP’d with a plus one.

Tessa was in town anyway, but it's not like this is her first Moir wedding, and she’s pretty confident it won’t be her last.

Her breath hitches a bit at that thought and its implications, and she can feel her cheeks twinge pink.

“Hey T, you okay?”

“Mmmhmm!” She manages, and hopes he doesn’t notice her blushing. Or sweating. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

“It’s time to stand. You ready?”

She nods her head quickly and jolts up quicker than she means to.

The ceremony is long, but beautiful. Tessa tries and fails to hide her tears as bride and groom exchange their sappy vows. Scott notices because of course he does and produces an honest-to-goodness handkerchief to give her from his suit-pants pocket.

Ever since her parents announced they were separating, she finds herself crying at every wedding she turns up at. It’s one of the hundreds of little things Tessa has needed to adjust to since February (like being Scott’s second choice when it comes to a plus one on a wedding invite), and she finds herself a little weak about it today.

Crying in public is awful and humiliating and for the millionth time she finds herself grateful for her partner’s expressive nature. He is far more obvious than Tessa when it comes to weeping openly in a chapel, and draws attention away from her should there be any potential onlookers. He spares her dignity and cool poise with Scott's extended family, some of which already ask too many questions. She fumbles for his hand blindly and gives him a quick squeeze for solidarity and gratitude and _no other reason_ she asserts...maybe if she thinks about it hard enough she can convince herself it's true.

Sometime later they end up at the cocktail bar. The wedding party is out for photos, and the wine is flowing freely. Tessa has a warm buzz on, but plans to switch to water for the dinner. It would be a very bad idea to cut a little too loose around Scott at this stage in their relationship. Especially since she’s just starting acknowledge the fact that she’s a little bit in love with him.

Maybe she will switch to water now. She signals the servers and a young blonde nods in acknowledgment. Tessa turns her attention back to her drink and finds that Scott has rematerialized at her side while she was distracted.

“Open bar! That’s pretty sweet, eh?”

“Yeah, I’m going to take it easy tonight though.” She says and narrows her eyes at him. It’s at least his third drink, and they haven’t had dinner yet. “Maybe you should too?”

“Hey, it’s not every day your cousin gets married. I plan to indulge a little.”

Tessa bites her tongue knowing all too well about the-not-so-secret rumblings that he’s been indulging more than _a little_ lately. She just sips her wine instead.

“Don’t you have about thirty cousins?” She attempts, hoping to shift the conversation a little.

“Yeah but Lindsay is one of my favourites, so cheers!” And he clumsily clinks their glasses together.

She can’t help but laugh a little. “You say that at every wedding,” and she throws her last gulp back. They’re quiet for a few minutes and enjoy the gentle hum of the crowd and the crackle of a nearby fireplace (which is strictly for ambience since it was twenty-five degrees today).

“Do you ever think about getting married?” He asks without warning.

Oh, she’s thought about it plenty. Lately when she ‘thinks about it’ it starts with her trying accept the idea of Scott marrying someone other than her and ends with the bottom of a wine bottle and Tessa stashing her phone in the pantry so she doesn’t make that late-night booty call she _knows_ she’ll regret in the morning.

“Uh, not really,” she lies, “but it seems like everyone is getting married these days.” She thinks maybe she shouldn’t say this next part, but the wine makes her tongue loose and the words fall out before she can catch up with them. “Have you been thinking about it lately?”

His cheeks colour a bit and he pointedly looks away from her. “Yeah, I mean it’s hard not to when you’re in a relationship...uh, no offence.”

“None taken,” She replies easier than she should. The server deposits a fresh glass of water on the table they’re leaning against and Tessa glares at it like it insulted her. She wishes so much she hadn’t been so sensible tonight.

“Kaitlyn definitely wants to...someday, ya know?" He continues, "but it’s pretty hard to imagine on my end.”

“No kidding,” She says. It comes out a little drier than she intended, so she drinks her water before she says something else she might regret.

“Yeah, I’m just not sure _I’m_ there yet. It hasn’t even been a year, and she’s great and all…”

“She’s awesome!”

“But yeah.”

“Yeah.”

They both take a long pull out of their respective beverages and share a look over their rims that is all too familiar.

There are a few things that Tessa is not very proud of; one (recurring) of which is their morally grey habit of falling into dangerous patterns of, uh, _proximity_ while maybe half seeing other people. Tessa swore it all away after a particularly messy patch leading into their most recent Olympics. She’s not convinced that either one of them have fully escaped the aftershocks of it and that sort of mess is _particularly_ the reason Tessa is planning for an early night.

“Maybe we should find our table?” She tries after she realizes neither one of them have spoken for a good few minutes.

“Yeah. Yes, good. That’s smart.”

The wedding party arrives shortly after Tessa and Scott settle in their assigned seats. Even though Tessa planned to stop drinking at dinner, champagne is unavoidable during the toasts, so she fuels her buzz a bit regardless of her intentions.

“If you and Kaitlyn get married, do I get to be your Best Man?”

Scott chuckles wholeheartedly at that and grins wickedly at her. “Sorry Kiddo, while you are definitely my best friend it's going to be up to Danny and Charlie to duke out. Loser is Best Man."

She lets out a giddy little giggle at that, cursing the alcohol for making him more funny and charming to her.

"I’m thinking about doing a Thunderdome-style duel if they need help deciding," he says around his own laughter, "but Chiddy has to be first alternate for both of them.”

"So Chiddy is going to be your Best Man then?"

"Yep, basically. You got it." And they both chuckle at that.

It's short lived though because as soon as Tessa pictures it as a real scenario—Scott standing at the altar waiting for a woman that's not her—her laughter dies in her throat.

“Seems like you’ve thought about it a lot.”

He puts his glass down and seems to labour a bit about that to say next. She dreads what he'll say next and suddenly she feels very  _very_ sober.

“Yeah I’ve had my dress picked out for years.”

He catches her off-guard and Tessa can’t help but erupt into an obnoxious snort-laugh that is way too loud for the quiet, digestive chit-chat that rumbles around them. The people at their table glare at them a little, but Tessa has had just enough wine to not care about it.

When it's quiet again she looks down at her phone. 7:30. She has a car arriving for 8. “Listen I better go grab some dessert and get ready to head out. My car is coming soon. Do you want anything while I’m up?”

“Woah, you’re leaving already? You’re not going to stay for a dance or two?”

Tessa picks up her purse and hopes she’s convincing in her role as ‘girl who isn’t dying to sway around in Scott’s arms until she’s too tired to stand’.

“Aren’t you sick of dancing with me, Moir?”

“Never.”

Tessa swallows hard around the sudden lump in her throat. “I have to get up early tomorrow. I’ve got a session with my personal trainer at nine. I better go say goodbye to your parents though.”

“I’ll go out with you.”

“Oh, but you’ll miss the first dance!”

“Aw that’s alright. I never really liked Lindsay anyway.”

Tessa finds herself laughing again and tries not to feel too warm and fuzzy as Scott helps her put her sweater on.

The air has definitely cooled off now that the sun has set, and as she waits for her car (which is ten minutes late already) she can’t help but let a shutter escape as the warmth from the wine fades and the damp evening air creeps into her bones through her thin cardigan.

“You want my coat?” Scott asks.

Tessa should say no, but she can’t help it. She’s always had a weakness for his chivalrous streak. She nods her head silently.

He drapes his blazer over her shoulders just as Tessa notices headlights coming down the lane which leads to the rented Chateau for the reception.

“Oh, I guess I won’t need this after all. It looks like my car is here!”

Scott just shakes his head, “Looks better on you anyway.”

Tessa smiles again as the car comes around to the steps where they’re waiting.

“Thanks for inviting me tonight, Scott. I had a lot of fun. It was nice to see the family again.”

“My pleasure...and my family’s. We all know that you’re their favourite.”

“Yeah well you’re _my_ favourite.”

She expects him to laugh but he doesn’t. Silence stretches over a minute or two while the car’s engine idles beside them.

“I could come home with you tonight.” He observes quietly while examining his shoes intently.

“You could.”

“But I should probably stay here.”

“You probably should.”

He sighs, then leans in a bit to stroke her cheek with his thumb. He fixes his gaze on her lips and her whole body hums with desire.

She knows what’s coming and she’ll be damned if she’s the one to stop it.

He closes the distance between them and grazes her lips with his own, ever so-softly, like a whisper in the dark.

It’s over just as quick and he’s opening the car door for her.

“Goodnight, Tess.”

“Goodnight, Scott.”

She almost makes it to the end of the lane before she’s crying again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up: stars on ice 2018, and perhaps the chapter that inspired this silly story? Stay tuned!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is really short, and a little nonsensical, but it basically inspired the story so enjoy! 
> 
> Just a friendly reminder that this takes place after the Stars on Ice Hamilton show from the spring, not the current tour! 
> 
> Also also i've never been to Hamilton, so if some of the descriptions seem wonky, you know why ;)

The Hamilton show is fun because she’s comfortable. She feels safe. She feels like everything she puts out there is amongst friends.

Maybe that’s why she decides to do the foolish thing at their show.

It’s not often that Tess will go out after shows, but tonight they’ve convinced her to have some drinks at a local pub and she’s sort of enjoying herself. That is until she overhears Scott, Elvis, and some crew guys talking about Alicia from craft services.

“You know Scotty if I wasn’t married…”

“Come on Luc, lay off of the kid alright?” Elvis interjects.

Probably-Luc continues, “It’s just that you’re the only single guy in the cast…”

“Poje’s single…” Scott finally replies before taking a long pull from his beer bottle.

“Oh yeah,  _ sure he is, _ ” Probably-Luc says. Scott and Elvis just chuckle in response.

“All I’m saying is that if I were you, I’d at least be asking for her number.”

“If I agree to talk to her will you get off my back?” Scott grumbles.

“Hey, just as long as you get Alicia on hers. _ ”  _

Tessa can’t take any more so she stands up in the middle of a presumably pleasant conversation with Kaetlyn and Kaitlyn (she hasn’t heard a thing they’ve said in almost five full minutes) and promptly exits the bar. 

She takes a few deep breaths outside and reacquaints herself to the neighbourhood they’re in. The hotel is only a block or two away from here, and she’s pretty sure if she walks away from where the venue was…

She feels a hand fall on her shoulder softly and if she didn’t know _in her bones_ that it was Scott, she might have startled pretty violently from it.

“Heading out, T?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’m quite tired from tonight’s show.”

“You always are. Come on, I’ll walk you back.”

“Scott—”

“Tess," he says with an exasperated chuckle. "We do this every time. You know I would  _ never  _ let you walk back on your own, not in a town like this, not even in Ilderton. Actually, maybe  _ especially _ not Ilderton. I know exactly how many guys have had the hots for you there over the last twenty years or so.”

She chuckles a little at that and finds that they’re already walking back toward the hotel.

It’s good that Scott was with her on their journey because she would have definitely gone the wrong way. Even though she’d been to the city more than a few times, all the construction has majorly thrown off her internal compass.

Like the good gentleman he is, Scott sees her right to her hotel room door.

“Why did you leave the bar like that?” He asks without warning or preamble. 

“I told you I was tried.”

“I don’t think that’s what it was.”   


“No, it was.” She knows how unconvincing she sounds but tries to play it off anyway.

“You were jealous tonight.”

“I wasn’t.”

“Oh, I disagree. I’m not trying to be cocky here or anything Tess, it’s just...I  _ know  _ you. And I know me. That Luc guy is an ass, but if I heard you talking about something like that with the other ladies I’d probably have done something a lot crazier than rush out of a bar in the dead of night all alone.”

“God you wouldn’t have hit anyone would you?”

“Maybe, but I was thinking more like I’d kiss you in front of everyone or something.”

Her mouth opens and shuts, vying desperately to make some kind of noise resembling speech.

Regardless of how ill-equipped she is to have this conversation right now, he continues anyway.

“You got down on one knee tonight...at the show. Why?”

She still can’t make words.

“I know you were just playing it up and having fun, and it was awesome, but just thought you should know that all you need to do is ask me for real.”

“Scott—”

“That’s all I’m waiting for, T. Just you. Ask me.”

The question burns on the tip of her tongue, but the vice in her chest is crippling. There’s so much to lose.

“I—”

“Yes.” He says. “Any time. Any place. Just say when.”

He’s inches away from her face and her eyes are almost crossed from being so close. He leans in just a little bit more. She can feel his breath on her mouth. Her eyes flutter shut and all coherent thought has abandoned her.

He licks his lips and whispers, “good night, Tessa,” inches from hers. Then he turns to leave.

She jolts back to her senses and takes a step forward. 

“Scott?”

He stops and turns to face her. He’s got this wicked smirk on his face because he knows  _ exactly  _ what he’s doing. 

She’s not quite ready yet. She can’t ask him  _ that _ yet.

“Stay with me tonight.” Is what she says instead. It’s not a question at all. 

“Sharing a room out of wedlock, Tess are you sure? We’re not even engaged yet.” He puts his hand on his chest in some sort of mock outrage and Tessa has to bite the inside of her cheeks to keep from laughing. She shouldn’t encourage him when he gets like this. 

She turns on her heel and unlocks her hotel room door. She meets his heated gaze over her shoulder and pulls the  _ Do not Disturb  _ sign out from the inside of the handle. She waves it around once or twice before placing it on the outside of the door. She can give as good as she gets, and this is a familiar dance. She knows what she's doing, too.

He closes their distance in a stride or two until they’re both through the doorway. Then he shuts the door behind them by pushing her against it.

It's a fantastic way to avoid the topic that's been at the forefront of her mind for over two years, and knowing his answer? Well, that just makes her enjoy it all the more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm...sorry? It'll be fine though. The next one is pure sugary fluff.
> 
> So chapter five is done (for all intents and purposes), but if you want a +1 you might have to yell at me a little. I don't really have a clear vision, so any advice and encouragement is appreciated!
> 
> Thanks for sticking with me folks!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wanna know something cute and totally unintentional? after the first chapter scott always greets her as "T" when he's first addressing her in this story! Idk why, but I thought that was a neat trend i accidently fell into.

Tessa walks through a mossy forest in her bare feet. It’s an odd sensation so she takes it slow. She doesn’t want to step on a rock or a stick and hurt herself. She doesn’t, the path is clear.

The branches seem to part around her to reveal a beautiful pond. It’s surrounded by white flowers and the water is so calm it looks like a mirror.

She sits at the edge of it and looks above her to admire the way the sunlight filters through the leafy overgrowth. Looking back, the path behind her is gone. She’s closed in, but she is safe.

The water ripples at her toes which draws her attention back to the pond. Scott is standing in the centre, his hair dripping freely around his face and shoulders. The water laps low around his hips

“There you are, T! What took you so long?”

She doesn’t know. She doesn't care. Nothing seems to matter outside this moment: she's happy.

“Well are you going to come in?” He asks with a winning smile.

Something stops her. She wants to go, but she’s worried. She doesn’t know why, but she doesn’t move.

“It’s been a while you know.” He says.

“I know.”

“So please?”

“I want to.” She covers her eyes, frustrated. She moves her hands away to find that the sun and Scott have gone. The flowers turn to shadows and streak away, the trees grow between her and the pond and she drifts further away from its bank.

“Wait, I just needed time. _Wait.”_ The growth is too thick, she can’t move and nothing is familiar anymore.

She jolts awake in bed to find her heart racing and her blackout curtains still drawn. She gets up immediately and shuffles out the door with admirable speed considering how early it is.

It’s her first time home since Christmas, and before that she has barely slept there a week put together since 2017.

The smell of coffee directs her and she rushes downstairs to find Scott standing in the kitchen glaring accusingly at the empty, open fridge. It doesn’t seem like he heard her come down.

Tessa crosses the room and wastes no time in wrapping her arms around his middle, smushing her face between his shoulder blades.

“Oh wow, hello!” Scott says way too brightly.

She loosens her grip a little as she anticipates his next move. He uses that opportunity to turn in her embrace (while closing the fridge) and to wrap his arms around her in reciprocation. “What are you doing up? It’s not even 8:30 yet, kiddo. Are you okay?”

“Marry me.” She says into his chest.

He turns into a statue in her arms and she can hear his heartbeat pick up from where she’s pressed against him.

“ _What?”_ She can tell he's smiling. She smiles too. She can’t help it.

“Please?” She asks.

He pulls away so he can look at her properly. His eyes glisten with unshed tears and she’s pretty sure hers are the same.

“Tessa...I’m... _What?”_

She chews at her bottom lip and looks up at him. “Is that all you’re going to say?”

He laughs—a breathy astonished thing—and uses one hand to push his hair out of his face then quickly replaces it on Tessa’s left shoulder.

“Okay how about this: it’s 8:26 in the morning. It’s Tuesday. I haven’t even had breakfast yet, we’re out of coffee cream, you’re not wearing any pants, and you’re proposing to me _for real_ right now?” 

She looks down for a minute. In her frenzy to see Scott this morning she had completely forgot that after their… _tryst_ last night she fell asleep in her silk camisole and _nothing else._  She’s not concerned about it, just surprised.

Scott’s a little more put together. He’s topless, but he has boxers _and_ lounge pants on. And one slipper she observes. Just one. Interesting. She’ll ask about that later. Together they almost make a whole outfit.

“Tessa?”

What was she doing again? Oh yeah: proposing.

“I’m ready. I want to get married...I mean if you still want to. I know we haven’t talked about it lately—”

She doesn’t have a chance to finish what she’s saying because Scott’s hands fly up to cradle her face. He pulls her in for a long, fiery kiss. She matches him with equal fervour, and they get lost in each other for a minute or two.

He pulls away, but presses his forehead firmly against hers, breathing heavily.

“I hope that’s a ‘yes’.” She says, a little breathless herself.

“Oh!” He says jumping back. He rushes past her and runs up the stairs two steps at a time. She hears some shuffling around on the second floor while she’s left standing in the kitchen, awkwardly tugging at the hem of her camisole. Leave it to Scott to either say too much or nothing at all. If she was less secure in their relationship, she might be a little annoyed. It’s clear he is looking for something up there, so she’ll just wait.

God knows he’s done his fair share of waiting already.

In the meantime, the coffee machine beeps, indicating that it’s ready, so Tessa pours herself a cup.

When Scott comes back down she's halfway in the pantry having just recovered an old container of powdered whitener from way in the back. She bought it ages ago for a situation such as this.

Well, maybe not the marriage proposal portion of it, but everything else is pretty standard for them.

She places the whitener down as she turns to him, and her hands fly to her mouth.

“You have a _ring?”_ She says through cupped hands.

She takes a moment to take everything in. Scott Moir, long-time skating partner and new-time lover is standing in the middle of her kitchen (the picture of humility with his left hand tucked behind his back)  presenting her with a modest gold ring with one diamond and no box, flushed from the tips of his ears to the expanse of his shoulders, on the morning she had a weird dream and decided to marry him. He has this amazing crooked smile on his face and her heart is so full. She feels her eyes prickle with tears again.

“Uh, yeah. It was my grandmother’s, and since I’m the only one who’s not married yet, I was the one who got it after...well, you know.”

She nods her head rapidly, letting a tear or two slip free. He means his grandfather left it to him. She’s really overwhelmed.

“I think my whole family knew that it was always meant for you. So Tessa yes, I will marry you. Oh shit, uhh…” He moves to get down on one knee but she doesn’t let him. She crosses the kitchen and pulls him into a hug instead. She kisses her way down the side of his jaw to his mouth, where she stays for a while before nuzzling her face in his shoulder. She feels his arms wrap tight around her and she can’t stop the laugh-cry that tears through her body in pure, elated joy.

“I love you _so much_ ,” she murmurs into his shoulder. He squeezes a little tighter.

“I love you too. More than anything, T.”

They stay like that for a while until Scott pulls away again.

“Want to see if it fits?” He asks gently.

She chews her bottom lip and simply nods her head. She can feel a fresh wave of tears come on and she's working very hard to keep herself together.

He takes her left hand carefully and slips the ring on. It’s a little loose, but otherwise perfect.

She looks from the ring to Scott and can’t believe her good fortune. She pulls him in for a tender kiss and breaks away to say, “thank you,” a little breathily as both hands grip his neck.

“It’s my honour,” He replies, flashing one of those beautiful smiles that she knows is only for her. “Oh,” he says quickly, “I also grabbed you some pants while I was upstairs.” They both look behind them at the heap of fabric tossed carelessly onto a bar stool, “just in case you want them.”

The wheels turn wickedly in Tessa’s mind and she bites back a grin. “Actually I don’t think I’ll need them.” Then she presses down on his shoulders and hoists herself up, straddling his hips. He catches her like she knew he would, and they’re kissing again—heated and filled with intent—fueled with a promise of forever _._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys, how cheesy is that last line? Who wrote this shit anyway??? ;)
> 
> There were enough people in the comments to convince me to do the elusive +1. It's not written yet, I'm not sure if it will be any good, but I promise I will write it soon! 
> 
> Thanks again for sticking with me, fam! And thanks for all of your lovely comments and kudos. You guys rock!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I was honestly starting to wonder if I'd ever actually finish this...enjoy!!
> 
> ...it is pure unadulterated fluff.

“It’s going to rain,” she hears him murmur through the door after three gentle taps. 

She rolls her eyes with a smile and crosses the room. She leans her forehead against the oak and sighs.

“It doesn’t matter.”

“I know, but I wanted the day to be perfect.”

“I thought we didn’t use that word, Scott.”

“Well we don’t, but if there was a day to use it—”

She laughs, she can’t help herself. She wishes she could hug him; sync-up their breathing, offer up some of the oddly calm energy she's been feeling all morning. She knows he probably needs it. She can practically hear his nerves vibrating through the door.

“We planned for this. It will be fine. I love you, and that’s what’s important. Everything else is just noise.”

“I love you. I want to kiss you.”

“You’ll have to marry me first.” She replies, laughing. She looks down at her white gown and wonders idly how heavy it will get when it’s wet.

“One more hour,” he says, as if reminding himself.

“One more hour,” she echoes, pressing her palms to the door, craving the warmth and comfort of his grasp.

One more hour she’ll get it, forever and always. She’s waited long enough already, she can definitely make it another hour.

* * *

The rain holds off during the ceremony, a small outdoor affair over the long weekend in August. It’s brief but loaded with love and emotion that is almost too much to bear. Her hands shake all the way down the aisle and don’t still until he’s holding them. She can already see tears shining in his eyes. She grins widely at him, knowing fully that he doesn’t stand a chance of keeping it together. It’s one of the things she loves most about him.

She almost makes it through the whole ceremony without crying, but when he starts his vows there’s not a set of dry eyes amongst the crowd. Emotions peak, and Tessa’s will to repress hers fades with every heartfelt word.

“Tessa, I like to tease you about how you can’t remember your life without me, and I guess that means a lot more to me than I let on...I mean for me it’s the same, but in a different way. I feel you in every part of my life.”

Tessa’s throat tightens and she feels shaky, so she knows tears follow soon.

“The fun times, the hard times. You’re always with me, literally and metaphorically.” That earns a few laughs. Tessa laughs too, but she feels her cheeks pinch with pink and her first sniffle escapes.

“I can’t imagine my life without you. I don’t  _ want  _ to imagine my life without you.”

Two tears slip free, and she sniffles again, as quietly as she can.

“You are my partner and my best friend and I can’t wait until I get to call you my wife too. You’re it. You’re everything. I can’t imagine waking up without you, and I can’t imagine falling asleep without you either. I love you more than I really understand, I think. I’m so ready for this.”

Her tears tickle the end of her nose and she sniffles and sighs a few times hoping to gain some semblance of composure.

“Everything I have is yours. Everything I want is you...thank you for letting me marry you.”

“You’re welcome,” she says softly before she can stop herself. A relieved chuckle ripples through the assembly, and Scott is crying too. She has no idea how she’s going to get through  _ her _ vows.

It turns out she can’t. Well, not really. Not the way she’s supposed to. She starts and stops for a good two minutes before looking at the officator with a helpless shrug.

She can’t bring herself to say everything she feels. It’s so against her nature, and panic chokes her voice. All of her closest family and friends are waiting, but it’s so much. She wasn’t expecting this and for the first time over twenty-four hours she feels anxiety bubble in her chest and her hands start shaking again. She silently pleas with Scott to understand and shakes her head uselessly.

“It’s okay, T.” Scott says softly, and uncharacteristically calm. No shadow of doubt flickers over his face, just a steady, silent assurance that he knows what to do. Then he asks the minister to move the mic away. As the minister does, an instantaneous calm washes over Tessa and her whole body relaxes.

Pointedly ignoring the quiet murmurs from their guests, Scott leans in close to Tessa’s ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

“It’s just us. No one needs to hear what you have to say except me. Just tell  _ me. _ ”

So she does. 

She pours her heart out with whispers and promises for only him and she waits until she’s finished before she looks at him, all while holding his hands tighter than ever.

She’s not surprised to find Scott unabashedly crying again, but with a huge grin on his face. It’s infectious, and she’s smiling again too. He kisses the crown of her head and presses his forehead against hers; both of them alternating between laughing and crying as they take a minute or two before continuing.

“You did so good,” he says, “I’m so proud of you.”

* * *

So it does rain. They’re taking pictures by the lake and the skies open up. Their amazing photographer catches the moment forever and Tessa and Scott just laugh and kiss and hold each other close through the downpour, completely unaffected. They have to take a break though, as they can’t risk water damage to the equipment. Meanwhile Scott cracks some bad jokes about Spider-Man, and  _ shouldn’t one of us be upside down for this?  _ Tessa just laughs helplessly at the man she married and rewards him with another kiss.

Once it lets up a bit, they take a few more pictures in the rain which Tessa knows will be her favourites out of the bunch. 

The rain finishes during the dinner, which is quiet but joyful. The speeches are only moderately embarrassing, which is the most they can ask for. Having been informed months prior that any and all iterations of  _ it’s about time  _ and  _ we knew this would happen eventually  _ would result immediate expulsion from the reception, Tessa and Scott are entertained thoroughly by the creativity of the wedding party throughout the evening.

At the end of the night, Tessa and Scott sway together to the crooning of an old sappy country song that somehow made the cut to their wedding playlist (Tessa couldn’t veto all of them, no matter how hard she tried). They’re on the patio of her cottage—an improvised dance floor—fifty metres away from the beach where most of their remaining guests have retreated to. Nieces, nephews, siblings, and cousins gather around a handful of bonfires and eagerly await the s’mores bar they were promised, which is scheduled to start in half an hour.

Tessa knows she should join their guests soon, but she’s so tired and happy and content, she’d just like to pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a little while longer, or at least until the end of the terrible song they are listening to. Just the two of them on their wedding night, in his arms where she belongs.

“Will you say it again?” He says out of the blue.

“Hmm?” She asks, lazy and sated by the quiet moment they were having.

“Your vows.”

She pulls away a bit and smiles at him. “Really? The whole thing?”

He matches her gaze with the warmth of his own and she knows she’d give him anything he asked for. 

“Maybe just the last part...please?”

She smiles in surrender and pulls him as close as she can. She feels him nuzzle against her neck as best he can from the angle, and she’s sighs serenely into his shoulder. 

No matter what their family says, she always had a difficult time picturing this finally happening. So many things prevented and postponed it, and it was so much easier for her (and them) to focus on things more tangible (like gold medals) than something as abstract as their love for each other. Being in his arms on the night of their wedding managed to be the most elusive of inevitabilities in her life so far, so she repeats her vows. Maybe if she says it enough it will feel less like her dream and more like her reality. Maybe he’s seeking the same thing.

“You are my past. You are my present. You are my future. You are my whole entire heart and soul and everything in between. I love you more than I can say. Thank you for letting me marry you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Please feel free to leave a comment too. I live for that shit.


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